Abstract
Many studies report that a corrected and systematic motor activity may represent a valid and therapeutic approach for preventing and treating overweight and obesity in pre-pubertal children [1]. In this context a psychomotor activity, aimed mainly to improve the functional pre-requisites [2], could play a key role, in particular in helping to perceive properly the own body image often misrepresented among obese children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a psychomotor education program (focused on the training of global and segmentary coordination, static and dynamic equilibrium, as well as spatio-temporal cognition) for a period of two years, on body mass index (BMI) an anthropometric parameter easily obtainable from weight and height and commonly utilized as index of obesity [3], in a group of 489 eight year- old children living in Florence (Italy).Comparing the BMI values recorded in children before and after the psycomothor activity we found a significant decrease of weight excess (approximately 17.6% vs 27.6%). Moreover we also found that the mean increase of BMI was less than that of the Italian population of the same age (approximately 0.55 vs 1.2), suggesting a beneficial effects of the psychomotor activity.
